The Secret of Strandhill
Summary Teaser In County Cork, Ireland a man called Tim O'Malley leads a tour group to a megalithic stone circle at Strandhill. He then takes them below where English archaeologists discovered a passage leading to the tomb of an ancient Celtic king. Sudden earth tremors caused by excavations for a nearby highway cause a small cave in. The rear wall of the passage is cracked and below is visible a colourful mosaic with the face of a Taelon in the centre. Act One At the Taelon Embassy in Washington, D.C., Da'an speaks with the leader of the Taelon Synod, Qu'on. Qu'on tells Da'an that the moment they have been waiting for has arrived. The mosaic pictures a Taelon named Ma'el. Qu'on puts Da'an in charge of the tomb's investigation. The Taelons need to confirm the details of a message that Ma'el sent them. Qu'on says that if the message can be confirmed, the Taelons will need to leave Earth permanently. Back in County Cork, at the White Horse Tavern, O'Malley buys a round of drinks for the patrons. He tells them that he found something that will make him rich. He removed a small portion of the Taelon mosaic. Just then, Siobhan Beckett and a troop of Volunteers enter the tavern. The Bartender tells Beckett he hasn't seen O'Malley (who rushed outside as soon as the authorities arrived). Beckett studies the fingerprints on a glass, using her CVI she is able to confirm they belong to O'Malley. Back in Washington, Da'an tells William Boone and Ronald Sandoval that their contact in Ireland will be Lt. Siobhan Beckett. He tells them that in the early days of Taelon space travel, they sent a scientist called Ma'el to Earth to study Humanity. Boone and Sandoval will be searching for his 2000 year-old remains. Boone and Sandoval take a Taelon Shuttle piloted by Lili Marquette to meet Beckett. She takes them to the mosaic where Boone recognizes religious figures like Buddha, Christ, Shiva and Moses depicted alongside Ma'el. Beckett tells them that the ancient Celts believed in a powerful king who descended from the heavens on a white horse. She believes this must be a reference to Ma'el. When Lili and Boone have a moment to themselves, Lili expresses rage that the Taelons have been to Earth before and never revealed this. Boone is calmer, saying the general public will most likely accept this without a problem. He advises Lili to speak with Jonathan Doors to see what equipment he can spare to help them excavate the tomb. Back in Washington, Qu'on informs Da'an that he has appointed Zo'or as the new Companion to the United Nations. Apparently, the Synod believes that Da'an will serve better if he can focus only on North America. Boone contacts Da'an and shows him the Taelon symbols that appear on the mosaic. They are ancient and Boone was unable to translate them himself. They translate to "We stand upon the lowest, we bow to the highest..." The rest of the text is on the missing piece stolen by O'Malley. Act Two When viewing the mosaic, Sandoval and Siobhan discuss the Celtic belief in a mystical King and Sandoval says "maybe they predicted the arrival of the Companions" and Siobhan Beckett recites "For all the hillside was haunted by the magic folk come again; And down in the heart-light enchanted were the opal coloured men". This is taken from "For all the hillside was haunted By the faery folk come again; And down in the heart-light enchanted Were opal-coloured men" - from "The Dream of the Children" by George William (“A. E.”) Russell https://www.bartleby.com/253/75.html . Act Three Act Four Coda Gallery File:Strandhill.jpg|Strandhill File:Strandhill_02.jpg|Where's Tim O'Malley? File:Strandhill_03.jpg|Welcome to Ireland File:Strandhill_04.jpg|Companion to the United Nations File:Strandhill_05.jpg|Beginning of a Riddle Cast * Kevin Kilner as William Boone * Lisa Howard as Lili Marquette * Von Flores as Ronald Sandoval * Richard Chevolleau as Marcus 'Augur' Deveraux (credit only) * David Hemblen as Jonathan Doors * Leni Parker as Da'an and Ma'el Guest Starring * Chris Wiggins as Tim O'Malley * Kari Matchett as Siobhan Beckett * Anita LaSelva as Zo'or Other Cast * Jody Racicot as Bartender * David Mucci as Conner * Roz Michaels as Gladys Miller * Shary Guthrie as Deedee Sandoval (uncredited) * Le Blanc as Lt. Dumay (uncredited) * Angelica Lisk-Hann as Police Officer (uncredited) * Uncredited as Qu'on (voice) Trivia * Though various sources, including the IMDB, list the title of this episode as "The Secret of Strand Hill" the actual village in Ireland is called Strandhill (one word) and the episode title as seen on screen fits with this. * In 1998, Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon won a Gemini Award for best original score for this episode. * Zo'or returns in his second appearance in the series. References * County Cork * Ireland * Strandhill * Washington Headquarters * White Horse Tavern * Skrill * CVI * Taelon Shuttle * Buddha * Christ * Shiva * Moses * United Nations * New York City Category:Episodes Category:Episodes of Season One